Articles

Upstairs or Downstairs for your Client

12/09/2016

You might find yourself in a position one day where it is no longer practical for you to move your client upstairs at night and back downstairs in the morning. This may be due to a general decline in health which could mean that balance is affected. The use of the stairlift may not be practical any more . Worse – it might become unsafe for your client. Many older people tend to become more stooped as they age and there is always a risk of them falling forward off the stairlift, even when the belt is fastened around them.

This is a decision which must be discussed with your client – if he or she is still in a position mentally to discuss this. You should also plan to talk to the family before you do anything. The family may add points of view that you had not thought of, and they will also feel that they must be involved in this decision.

Keeping your client upstairs may mean that it is easier for you to help them to the toilet and bathroom, which will probably be larger than a small toilet downstairs and washbasin. It will mean that they are probably nearer to your room and this is a point that the family will consider important.  This may be handled by using a sound monitor so you will hear every noise your client makes. If your client is still able to use one, a regular door bell at their bedside with the box near your room, will solve this problem.

Downstairs will mean that you are nearer the kitchen so meals can be served hot. However, a client who is approaching the End of Life phase will possibly be eating cold, soft foods instead of hot food, so this question may not arise then.

If using the stairlift becomes a problem but your client still enjoys going out into the garden then the ideal choice will be for them to move downstairs, with the carer having some way of hearing them during the night. If this is the decision then you should also take into account the lighting from your room to your clients room and you will probably have to answer night calls, and do not want poor lighting near stairs. A night night or two will work well here.

You should also – and probably most importantly – take into account the view from each area that your client would be sitting in. While it might be more convenient to be upstairs, the view from the bedroom window may be over rooftops and tree tops while the view from the sitting room may be of  much loved garden with favourite bird feeder. If this is where your client is going to spend most of their days then you should be sure that changing rooms is in their best interest. While going up and down stairs may become tedious for you, it is your client who needs to be happy in this situation.